Released in 1997, WARRIORS OF VIRTUE is a fantasy film filled with lofty ambitions that failed to find its audience. The film is the product of four wealthy brothers, transplanted from Hong Kong to settle in Colorado, the Law brothers. Surgeons by trade but with a creative and financial interest in cinema, they decided to make a Hollywood blockbuster. The brothers invested $35 million of their combined fortunes into developing and producing the film, a science fiction fantasy best described as a variation on THE WIZARD OF OZ meets KUNG-FU PANDA with a pouch-full of STAR WARS’ Force-full mysticism added for good measure. The brothers went on to personally finance another $20 million in marketing costs, with an eye on lucrative toy and other merchandise tie-ins. When the Law brothers were finished shooting the film, they were convinced their film deserved a fully orchestral, swashbuckling score to bring life to the world of Tao and assist its journey to acclaim and fortune. The brothers hoped to hire John Williams to score the film but his agent referred them to another composer by the name of Don Davis. He began work on scoring the film in 1995, two years prior to the film’s release. The producers told him they wanted a broad symphonic score, with a separate theme for each of the five Warriors and as one of the brothers was involved with the Colorado Opera Company, he wanted to commission a piece of concert music that involved these five themes, representing the virtues in the manner of an oratorio. This oratorio, called ‘Of The Illuminated’, received its premiere at the Breckenridge Music Festival in the summer of 1995. This unique (and lengthy) affiliation with the project allowed the composer to be a part of the creative team from the beginning of the project. The WARRIORS OF VIRTUE score was recorded with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and mixed by Armin Steiner.